ATHLETICS star Ben Sandilands will go for gold on Friday when he takes to the track for his Paralympic Games debut.

The 21-year-old, who is a member of Fife AC, will take to the start line in the men's T20 classification 1500 metre race at the Stade de France on day nine of the Games in Paris.

Ben, who hails from Kirkcaldy, is part of a training group based at Pitreavie Athletics Centre, which includes club-mate and 2021 T20 1500m Paralympic champion, Owen Miller, that is led by his coach, Steve Doig.

Injury curtailed the hopes of Owen, from Dunfermline, of defending his title in Paris, but 2023 Para Athletics World Championships gold medallist Ben will have the chance of competing for Paralympic glory.

In July, he recovered from what his coach said was a "slight niggle" to run in the 1500m ambulant men's race during the Diamond League event in London.

Ahead of the Games, Steve told Press Sport: "It was probably everything we could hope for, time-wise, at Diamond League, because it was a domestic field. There was people there trying to get picked for Paralympics.

"It's a big step up possibly from worlds, just because it's a multi-sport event. I suppose World Para Athletics is like almost the top level, because it's the biggest para competition outside the Paralympics, but there's obviously a lot more media focus on the Paralympics, so there's a lot more attention, particularly with the fact it follows on from the Olympics.

"It's a great achievement to be picked. It'll be a great experience.

"It's just a case of how you perform on the day. Certainly he has the capacity to be involved in a race for the front, for a medal position, because he was the world champion. He's not the world champion now, of course, because there was world championships in the spring (May), but, again, that maybe takes a bit of pressure off."

There are seven confirmed entrants in the T20 1500m, and the race takes place tomorrow (Friday) at 10.01am.